Beet-harvester.



N. G. LAWSON.

, BBET HARVBSTBR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6,1911. 1 ,03 1 1 89.

Patented July 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Attorneys N. G. LAWSON. BEBT HARVESTER.

' APPLIOATO r 1,031,189. H Patented July 2, 1912.

w! H? .H Hljilllllllllllllllfllllllllll Inventor Attorneys UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

NELSON G. LAWSON, or DENVER, COLORADO.

BEn'r-HARvEsTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Original application filed April 28, 1911, Serial No. 623,910. Dividedand this application filed July 6,

Serial No. 637,088.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON G. LAwsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denver, in the city and county of Denver and State ofColorado, have invented a new and useful Beet-Harvester, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in beet harvesters, the primaryobject of the invention. being the provision of a machine adapted to digthe beets after their tops have been removed, in combination with meanswhereby the digging wheels are placed into and out of engagement withthe ground or at various adjustments therebetween by means of a pair ofswingingly mounted supporting wheels and means for regulating saidwheels and retaining them in the desired adjustment, the presentapplication being a divisional application of an application for beettopper and harvester filed April 28, 1911, Serial No. 623,910.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construct-ion hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope ofwhat is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete machine. Fig.2 is a top plan view, partly in section of the digger wheels and theadjacent parts. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the main frame ofthe machine, which is provided with journals 2, in which is mounted theshaft or axle 2. Swingingly connected to the extreme ends of this shaftor axle 2, are two depending arms 3, which carry at their lower ends thestub axles 4 and the main wheels 5, the link 6 being con nected to thearms 3 and through the me dium of the lever 7 and the lever and ratchetmechanism 8, said crank arm 3 may be moved to change the relativeposition of the wheels 5 to the frame 1. Keyed upon the shaft 2 androtatable therewith are the two wheels or disks 9, which are providedwith radiating slots 10 in which are slidably mounted the pins 11 whichcarry the beet digger points or teeth 12. Each disk has an inwardlyprojecting tread forming an earth engaging rim 10; through which saidteeth slidably project.

The stationary cams 17 are so connected to and supported by the frame 1,that the outer face of each is always engaged by the rollers 11, journaled upon the pins 11 of the diggers 12, and by this means as thedisks or wheels 9 are rotated, the said diggers are projected andretracted according as they pass around said cams 17. Parallel with theforward top and rear port-ions of the cam surface of the cams 17, arethe cam guide strips 14, which abut the outer surfaces of the rollers 11and retain the same in contact with the. cam surface of the cams 17. Bythis means as the vehicle is drawn over the ground, the diggers 12 areprojected as they move toward the forward ends of the machine,their'final, or farthest points of projection being when they aredirectly below the axle 2, after which they begin to retract and carrythe beets upwardly until the said beets strike the separating arm 10,this arm 16 projecting between the two sets of diggers 12 and preventingthe beets from being carried farther up by said diggers and against theguard 15.

Mounted rotatably with the shaft 2 and upon the right hand side thereofis a large grooved or sprocket wheel 17 which transmits motion throughthe belt or chain 18 to the small sprocket or grooved wheel 19 journaledat the front of the machine. This sprocket 19, or pulley wheel, ismounted upon the shaft 20 which is journaled in the adjustable support20' carried by the forward frame 21 of this machine. Mounted in thelower depending arms 21 of the forward frame are the two front wheels22, these wheels being for the purpose of carrying and regulating theheight of the top cutter 100.

Provided at the forward end of the machine is a tongue 101, which bymeans of the lever 102 and its connection 103 may be raised or loweredas desired.

By providin the digger disks 10, with the rims 10', the disks arelimited in their earth engagement, as the tread of said rims The teethare so constructed, that as they are projected, their beet engagingterminals are moved or inclined inwardly so that the radially alinedteeth of the two disks will cooperate in pairs to engage the beets uponopposite sides and pull them from the earth.

By this construction it will be seen that the simple manipulation of thelever at the rear of the machine will swing the axle and at the sametime move the main supporting wheels in an arc of a circle with the axleas the center, so as to permit the frame of the machine to be lowered orraised with relation to the ground thereby regulating the depth at whichthe diggers are to pierce the ground.- 7

It will thus be seen that the operation of the digging is entirelyregulated by the manipulation of the swinging frame carrying the mainwheels, and that it is so constructed that when in position as shown infull lines in Fig. 1, the machine may be transported without the diggingdisks engaging the ground, but should it be desired to operate the sameto dig beets, the lever is manipulated or pulled rearwardly and lockedto assume the various desired positions, and at the same time permit thedigging disks to be brought into engagement with the ground.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings itis evident that the lever 7 may be operated to raise the wheels 5entirely from the ground so that the diggers '12 and their respectivecarrying wheels may rest upon the ground and act as a rolling supportfor the machine, as the machine is drawn by either a traction engine orhorse power. The wheels 5 may also be adjusted so as to rest upon theground to carry the machine or to limit the depth at which the diggers12 will enter the ground to gather the beets. This of course beingregulated with relation to the character of the soil and also with thedepth of the beets within the ground. As the machine is pulled over thesurface the friction of the diggers with the ground will cause the saidmain shaft 2 to be rotated and through this medium the top cuttingmechanism 100 is operated as is also the endless belt 26 which willdeliver the cut tops into a hopper, this construction being the subjectmatter of the said application of which this application is a division.

l/Vhat is claimed is:

.1. A beet harvester, having a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted therein,a pair of digger disks carried by and rotatable with said shaft, saiddigger disks being provided with a series of radial slots, a series ofdigger teeth mounted in said. slots, two cams, one to each digger diskconnected to and supported by the frame and in fixed relation to thedisks, and means carried by the teeth of the disks operably disposeddisposed between said disks with relation to the cam, whereby the rotation of the disks will project and retract the digger teeth.

2. A beet harvester, having a frame, a

shaft. rotatably mounted therein, a pair of digger disks mounted uponand rotatable with said shaft, said digger disks being provided with aseries of radial slots, a digger tooth, one to each slot of therespective disks slidably mounted therein to be projected beyond andretracted Within the periphery of its respective disk, two stationarycams connected to and carried by the frame, one to each digger disk, acam strip co-acting with each cam and surrounding the greater and upperportion thereof, and also supported by the frame, and means carried byeach digger tooth for co-action with the cam and cam strips, wherebywhen the disks are rotated the teeth are projected and retracted.

3. A beet harvester, having a main frame, a shaft rotatably mountedtherein, a pair of digger disks fixedly connected to and rotatable withsaid shaft, each disk having an earth engaging rim, a series of diggerteeth slidably carried insaid disks and disposed to be projected beyondand retracted within said rim, and co-acting means carried by said teethand the main frame for imparting such movement to the teeth as the disksare rotated.

4. A beet harvester having a main frame, a shaft rotatably mountedtherein, two digger disks keyed to said shaft and rotatable therewith, aseries of radially disposed and slidably mounted digger teeth carried byeach disk, the free end of said teeth being positioned to projectinwardly at an angle toward each other when projected, a cam for eachdisk connected to the main frame in fixed relation to its respectivedisk, and means carried by the teeth for coaction with the cam toretract and project the teeth due to the rotation of the disks. 7

5. A beet harvester, having a main frame, a shaft rotatably mountedtherein, a pair of digger disks keyedto and rotatable with said shaft, aseries of digger teeth slidably mounted and radially supported in eachdigger disk to be projected and retracted as the teeth engage and movefrom the ground, a coacting stationary cam and cam strip connected tothe frame, one set to each digger disk, and means carried by each toothfor coaction with its cam and cam strip during the rotation of thedigger disks to project and retract the said teeth.

6. A beet harvester, having a main shaft rotatably mounted therein, apair of digger disks provided each with a peripheral flange forming atread, a series of digging teeth radially slidable in each disk, acurved plate at the rear thereof for removing the beets lifted by theteeth, a pin projecting from the inner end sitioned to retract andproject the respective of each tooth, a cam connected to the frameteeth. rigidly with respect to its digger disks, one In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing cam to each disk, said cam being positioned as myown, I have hereto afiixed my signa- 5 to be engaged by the respectivepins of the ture in the presence of two witnesses.

teeth, and a cam strip surrounding the NELSON G LAWSON greater and upperportion of each cam and fixed to the frame,.said strips coacting withWitnesses: the cams to guide the pins of the teeth, said ALLYN COLE,

10 cam and strip of each digger disk being po- MAITLAND MILLIKEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained or five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

, Washington, D. G.

